"I can't tell if I'm a kingpin or a pauper..."

And now, we’re finally in the home stretch. With this time of year, we tend to see higher quality hosts, exceptional musical guests, and most importantly, some of the funniest shows of the season.

If I may veer from my usual open-minded, impartial self for a brief moment, let me just say that I am absolutely pumped that Tom Hanks is hosting this week’s broadcast. I have a great respect for everything he’s done as actor, and his appearance on the show (his first hosting stint since 1996) has always been very welcoming. The musical guest is the Red Hot Chili Peppers, who like Hanks have had a lasting cultural appeal but also hasn’t appeared on the show since I was in grade school.And now, the sketch-by-sketch analysis:COLD OPENING: Bush and Cheney discuss the FBI shakeup, which leads to a funny jab at the Livingston incident from three months ago. Shortly afterwards, Senator Bill Frist (Tom) walks in to face the humiliation of his failed Senate Gas Plan, which leads into an infomercial-type tinkering with the now-infamous piece of legislation. I liked too-good-to-be-true element of the proposal, but wouldn’t it have been nice if they gave us a 800 number to call?MONOLOGUE: Just before he introduces a video diary of his filming of “The Da Vinci Code,” Tom must field questions from several audience members, an albino monk (WF), the Flying Nun (RD), Pope Benedict XVI (DH), and a hesitant Christ impersonator (JS), all in relation to the controversial film. For once, a funny monologue!“Wheel of Fortune”: Three idiots (AP, FA, KW) can’t solve “By the skin of our teeth” as Pat Sajak (Tom) tries to control his temper in the “stupid funny” sketch of the week.“Kaitlin and the Iguana”: This time around, the prepubescent spazz (AP) overexcites herself while anticipating a lizard-sitting courtesy of Uncle Rick’s friend Eli (Tom). If you've seen once Kaitlin sketch, you've seen them all.FILM: The year is 1991, somewhere on the streets of New York City, three guys (WF, CP, KT) discuss the merits (or lack thereof) of a pop band called Ariell & Ephraim (played by Hanks and AS) and their funky hit “Please Don’t Cut My Testicles.” A bit conceptual (like most of the films this season) but nonetheless amusing.“Universal Studios”: Two grown brothers (Tom, FA) call for their bewildered mother (RD) as they wait in line at the Florida-based theme park. While the two idiots stand in line, the senile old bat actually has an exciting time getting lost in the crowd. Though it was amusing at first, it eventually dragged on about two minutes longer than it should have.MUSICAL PERFORMANCE: Tom must really love this band if he keeps referring to the band members by name. Either way, this is their new single “Dani California,” which is an adequate song that only complements the Chili Peppers’ quasi-funk lite-rock bender since the late ‘90s.WEEKEND UPDATE: Tonight on Update, Tina grills Rosie O’Donnell about her potentially spiteful gig on “The View,” while the Kelly Brothers (FA, WF) debate the immigration crisis in song. Otherwise, there wasn’t really anything all that memorable.“Claremont Yoga Center”: A student of fitness and enlightenment (RD) is repulsed by her class partner Teddy (Tom), who sweats all over the poor girl. The key to the sketch was obviously the physical humor, with Hanks going the extra mile to create an awkward tension that not only paid dividends on the audience but even made the usually stoic Amy crack up. “Colin’s Place”: Here’s a really stupid way to start a sketch: “Tonight on ‘C-SPAN After Dark’.” The misleading intro makes way for Colin Powell (KT) shrugging off Condi Rice (MR) and her State Department crony (Tom) in an obvious and largely unfunny homage to “Sanford & Son.”MUSICAL PERFORMANCE: Anthony, Chad, Flea, and John pull of a little bait n’ switch; at first it seems like they’ll be playing some album cut from their new album, but instead unleashes an scorching rendition of their 1992 hit “Give It Away.” Just plain wow.“Country Club Tennis”: Several pompous vieil argent types argue over the ability to play tennis with an unusual amount of arms in yet another sketch with a one-joke premise.I’ll be honest with you -I don’t think I’ve seen a May broadcast this lackadaisical since Year 20. Tonight was that one rare instance where the music carried the show; the broadcast was practically dead before they launched into “Give It Away.” Granted, Hanks’ appearance was a tad underwhelming and I’m sure a lot people were incredibly disappointed, but a scorching performance by the godfathers of funk-metal saved the day. Of course, Hanks wasn’t dreadful as host and he never will be; he simply had to put with so-so writing as well as a couple of overlong sketches.Sketches/Segments That Should Be Removed In Repeats: “Bush and Frist,” Horatio as Rosie on WU, “Colin’s Place,” and “Country Club Tennis.”Next Week: Now here’s something completely different: Julia Louis-Dreyfus becomes the first female ex-cast member to host, while Paul Simon makes his 1,784,236th appearance on the show.Contact “HelloStuart” at sma17kc@netscape.net.moreless

I expected more.

Well there was the Wheel of Fortune skit which was funny for being stupid. The Universal Studios skit drug on for way too long and wasnt very funny. The Monolouge was pretty funny watching Tom Hanks being interviewed. I did expect more since Tom Hanks was on but I should not judge a show by its host.

ahahah it was funny !

hahah it was funny !!!!!!!hahah it was funny !!!!!!!hahah it was funny !!!!!!!hahah it was fuhahah it was funny !!!!!!!nny !!!!!!!hahah it was funny !!!!!!!hahah it was funny !!!!!!!hahah it was funny !!!!!!!hahah it was funny !!!!!!!hahah it was funny !!!!!!!hahah it was funny !!!!!!!hahah it was funny !!!!!!!hahah it was funny !!!!!!!hahah it was funny !!!!!!!hahah it was funny !!!!!!!hahah it was funny !!!!!!!hahah it was funny !!!!!!!hahah it was funny !!!!!!!hahah it was funny !!!!!!!hahah it was funny !!!!!!!hahah it was funny !!!!!!!hahah it was funny !!!!!!!hahah it was funny !!!!!!!hahah it was funny !!!!!!!hahah it was funny !!!!!!!hahah it was funny !!!!!!!hahah it was funny !!!!!!!hahah it was funny !!!!!!!hahah it was funny !!!!!!!moreless

Well done Tom Hanks

If the host is good and the music is good, then how bad can the show be. Well, I will never know because I thought it was very good. Tom Hanks was up to par in every role he played on the show. I love the character of Kaitlen done by Amy Pohler, and she was in there. The news was funny as usual. I think this year has been a good one for Saturday Night Live. The new cast members are contributing well and adding a lot to the show. May Lorne Michaels live forever.moreless

Give it away, give it away, give it away now!
Cause no one would buy this episode. Hell, they might as well keep this episode.

This week on SNL was 8 time host Tom Hanks with musical guest Red Hot Chili Peppers. Both were good, though Tom’s talent was with held due to what I call “crappy writing.” I don’t have much to say here, cept that I was looking forward to Tom, since he is the best host out of the last three. I’ll jump to it.HOST:This week’s host is Academy Award winning actor Tom Hanks. He has hosted numerous times before this, each time having done a good job. And tonight was no difference. He appeared in every skit, and had a good monologue. Though in it you could see Rachel’s wire. But I loved the reference to his movie The Terminal, and why he made it. It was a good monologue, entertaining and funny. He did well, though had to hold some of it back due to the writing. It was good, but suddenly got not as great again. That is not a good sign. But Hanks overcame that, and proved his worthiness. AMUSICAL GUEST:This week’s musical guest is the Red Hot Chili Peppers. This is not their first time, though they have not appeared with Hanks. I say that because they all seemed very close to him. I must admit, I did not watch their first performance. I haven’t heard the song, though the video looks cool. The song, "Dani California" has an 80’s themed video. Then they performed the great song “Give It Away.” I watched that. Awesome song. I’m not really a fan of the band, though they are talented and they did well. A-THE SKITS:Cold Opening: Bill Frist's Gas Plan – I liked the Cheney reference in here, for being shot in the face. And Finesse was in it, though only in a walk on appearance. And did they have an NBC promo in here? Why do they keep talking about the hit NBC show “Deal or No Deal?” And why didn’t they look at each other when they were talking? This was like lost – raised more questions than in answered. Tom played Frist, with a crappy gas plan. I remember getting $120 in cash, a vacation, and some mop on it. The skit started a bit dumb, Forte wasn’t as great as Bush for some reason, but improved once Tom came on. A-Wheel Of Fortune – How dumb are these people? And who played Vanna White? I didn’t recognize her. No one could solve the puzzle in it. Sadly, neither could I. I have never heard that phrase before. I liked the end, with” WE ARE HORSES!!!” But I had no idea that Pat hated the show so much. It was pretty good and had funny parts. BKatlin & the Iguana – NO!!! Not this crappy skit! It was bad. It was dumb. It was annoying. Nothing new about it. Katlin is all excited about taking care of an iguana, and freaks out at the end. And Tom looked like he didn’t want to be in it. Hopefully, this is the last time I see it for a while. D-Film Short: Ariell & Ephraim: Take off of Right Said Fred. The song was “Don’t Hurt My Testicles,” but if ya wanna do a take off of RSF, call it, “I’m Too Sexy For You To Hurt My Testicles.” It was funny. I liked it. Though it pry could have been better. B+Ma! – So let me get this straight. At Universal Studios Theme Park, the pizza line is fast. The roller coaster line is fast. The ride is fast. But the line that they were waiting in goes like every other line. And the exit was like 20 feet from the ride. And what the hell was wrong with this mom? Why was she so messed up? My mom could easily find her way around a park, and a lot easier than I could. Now here is my comment – what the hell was this?! Could they not think of anything, ANYTHING, better? Tom and Fred look like they are middle aged kids for some reason too. Though Ma looked in her 50s. How high/drunk/screwed up was she? It was a waste. D+Claremont Yoga Center – Not good at first, but it soon got better. Though it had a weak ending. Andy was in it too. He didn’t talk, but he looked good. That’s a plus to it. Tom was a disgustingly sweaty guy Rachel was paired up with. Too bad. I would have rushed to pair with Andy. B+Colin’s Place – So this is what airs on C-SPAN when there is nothing on late, late, late night TV. It is a take off of “Sanford & Son.” And Condoleezza rice made an appearance. Oh, and Finesse was in it and was pretty good in it. One thought stuck with me though – Powell really let himself go. Wow, he drinks too much. This skit had what I like to call okay-funny moments. C+Country Club Tennis – Okay, here’s my beef with this skit, besides all the disgusting multi arms on people. DO all rich dudes at country clubs sound like Thurston Howell III? This skit was just weird. Did someone right this when they were very tired or stoned cause it seemed that way? I’m not even sure what went on. I was lost after it started and they all sounded like they were trying out for a remake of “Gilligan’s Island.” C-BEST MOMENT – I can’t think of one. Nothing impressed me enough. I was glad Andy was in it, but he wad bald, than quiet. Finesse was good. I liked Bill Hader as the creepy pale monk. I’d say that Tom’s monologue was the best thing of the night, if I had to choose, with the Chili Pepper’s 2nd performance as a close second.WORST MOMENT – Katlin. Nough said.SURPRISING MOMENT – I thought the skits would be better. It was a surprise that they weren’t that good.SKIT AVERAGE – 2.4, CSHOW RATING – 6.5/10 Sparkling DiamondsNext week is Julia Louis Dreyphus with musical guest Paul Simon. Could care less about either. That’s why I don’t check the spelling. (Seriously, could they not find anyone, ANYONE else for a musical guest. I can name people more entertaining. He’s boring.)moreless

Also in the Universal Studios sketch, the brothers waiting in line watch their mother ride the "Revenge of the Mummy" roller coaster. In real life, this is impossible, since the ride is fully enclosed in both the Florida and Hollywood incarnations.

In the parade portion of the "Ma!" sketch, there is a person dressed as SpongeBob SquarePants. Nickelodeon has moved its studios from Universal Studios Florida, and has severed all ties with Universal, for all intents and purposes, in order for Viacom to use their Nickelodeon properties at their own theme parks.

QUOTES (1)

Amy Poehler: David Blaine on Monday entered a water-filled plastic sphere at Lincoln Center, where he will stay for one week, and get oxygen and liquid nutrients through a single tube. He will emerge this Monday and with any luck, do a magic trick.

NOTES (5)

Sketches cut after dress rehearsal include: a sketch about a couple (Amy Poehler, Tom Hanks) who frantically try to take over the work left by their absent housekeeper (Maya Rudolph); a commercial where roaches eat head lice; a Digital Short where a police officer's (Andy Samberg) lobster claw-like hands impede eating; "Gump: The Musical," where Tom Hanks reprises his Oscar-winning role on the Broadway stage; a sketch where two janitors (Horatio Sanz, Tom Hanks) are accused of theft; "Tech Pack"; and a sketch about a weird secretary (Fred Armisen) who bothers those who enter Brian Glazer's office.

On the 9/16/06 rerun, "Claremont Yoga Center" sketch switches places with "Wheel of Fortune" sketch. In the original live broadcast, "Claremont" was originally shown after Weekend Update and "Wheel of Fortune" was the first sketch after the monologue.

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